Chance Encounter
by Chaotic Tai
Summary: Sequel to Missing. Years have passed since the falcon disappeared, but maybe he's not as far away as the phoenix thinks


**Tai: **Well, apologies to all however, after a lot of people wanting more to my story 'Missing' and me knowing full well that a second chapter would be nowhere near as glorious as the first, I decided to think on what could happen afterward. I came up with three scenarios, all very different, all very easy for me to imagine. Except for the end of this one. Don't like how this one ends, but I'll post it anyway.

Also, as a shameless advertising plug, you should all read my joint story with ChibiLeon, a friend of mine, titled _A Furry Problem_. I write the even numbered chapters for it, she writes odd, and it will contain adorable Bryan-Kai cuteness in the near future.

Once again I apologise for how this sequel turned out; you must, however, realise it's difficult for me to write something as lovely as Missing without a nice inspiration song. I'm looking for one for the other two options, which should appear sometime in the near future.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything.

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><p>"I want all of you to attempt the problems at the end of the chapter, especially the problems concerning depreciation and categorisation of assets and liabilities of a company." An intelligent looking male at the front of lecture theatre stated as a room of roughly 150 students packed their books into their bags in preparation to leave. "I'll see you all on Thursday."<p>

A slate haired teen stood with the rest of his future colleagues, filing out of the doors with the rest of the students. Though the trademark scarf, painted blue fins and spiky two-toned hair had been trimmed back to remove the spikes. He fit in with the other twenty-something year old students at the university, already into his second year of a commerce degree.

After Bryan's disappearance he'd given up on beyblading competitively; the entire team had. It wasn't the same without the falcon's cruel disposition and almost torturous style; wasn't the same without the brutal attacking techniques against which they could all form a defence. It had been five long, painful years since the lavender haired male had disappeared without a trace. Authorities had been unable to find any trace of the teen; no one had found a trace of him since the dark haired neko-jin of the Bladebreakers had last seen him.

Tala and Spencer had returned to Russia to finish what they'd started since the demise of the abbey; the blonde was finishing a teaching degree, while the redhead oversaw the more detailed aspects of housing over 100 children of varying ages. The orphanages had offered them places, however the children were more content to stay together. The buildings had been renovated and the Russian captain, along with the young purple haired teammate, had taken care of some basic re-education of the students.

Running a hand through his now short hair, the two tones still as evident as ever, Kai headed back to his apartment barely paying attention to anything around him as he walked. Tala, Ian and Spencer were still busy with the education of the remaining students of the abbey, all five also finishing courses via distance through one of the university.

He meanwhile had returned to finish his schooling and was now attending one of the many Japanese universities; the one he was attending widely considered the top college for such a degree. By many standards it was also considered a frontrunner for science degrees; mostly for biology and chemistry degrees.

He froze mid-step as a familiar looking male brushed past him, the gruff voice muttering an apology as he continued on towards the lecture theatres he'd just left. Thoughts began rushing through his mind, the single passing glimpse of the male making the slate haired man debate whether he'd actually seen what he thought.

Spinning around to look after the male, he found that there was absolutely no sign of the lavender haired male; making Kai decide he'd likely disappeared into a lecture theatre quickly for his own courses. As people continued to bustle past around him, the ex-blader let out a sigh and turned back toward his intended destination, spying a patch of grass on which he could rest. The course would likely only last for an hour, and he could study outside while he waited for the enigmatic and familiar looking male to reappear.

'Why haven't the police found him? If he's at university then surely he's using his own name and details; we gave all of that to the police.' The dual toned hair male pondered, completely confused about the idea. 'Unless it's not him; I'm sure he's not the only one with lavender hair in the world.' He let out a small sigh and began reading the chapter of the textbook the class had been assigned, subconsciously watching his surroundings.

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><p>The crowd of people had thinned substantially as lectures began, only the stragglers who were rushing from one side of the campus to the other continued to filter past. It would be obvious when the next set of lectures concluded; the large wave of students that would erupt from buildings would be the best indication available.<p>

The hour passed slowly, Kai barely able to focus of the words before him; he and the remainder of the Russian beyblade team had long since assumed Bryan dead. The lavender haired male had disappeared without a trace so it was a reasonable conclusion. As people began filtering past him once more, his ruby eyes flicked upward to search the faces of the passing students for anything familiar.

Finally the lavender haired male reappeared; the normally scruffy short hair was now longer, tied back in a short ponytail, falling to sit between his shoulder blades. The hard, deep green eyes were unmistakeable, having seen horror beyond his years in an era of living which remained without a world-wide war.

"Bryan…"

The lavender haired Russian froze as the word reached his lips. He was certain that the male he'd brushed past easier was indeed the younger slate haired male he cared deeply for, but he didn't want to admit it. Five years of avoiding his past, so many months of using a fake name, hours of ignoring everything he wanted to return to. Occasionally he still trained with Falborg in private; away from the prying eyes of anyone who might recognise him.

His own deep eyes met briefly with the bright ruby red of Kai's, the two males recognising one another after only a moment. Their trademark looks were long gone, but after growing up together they weren't needed for the duo to recognise each other almost instantly.

The talons of attachment began sinking in once more like a falcon's mighty claws into an unsuspecting rat; plummeting effortlessly into his body. Their eye contact only lasted a moment before the lavender haired male bolted, dodging easily through the crowd of people in an effort to get away from the familiar male. 'Five years I've been avoiding them; of all the universities he could've picked why on earth did he come to this one?'

His mind was racing, the unmistakeable sound of footsteps chasing him reaching his ears as he tried desperately to escape.

"Victor!" the voice was a familiar one; not from his past but from his present. Spotting the familiar blonde, he dodged through a crowd of women, talking loudly about something irrelevant to university. "You looked like a man on a mission; hope I'm not keeping you from anything."

"Nah, lectures are done; there's a bus leaving for the mall shortly that I was thinking of catching, but there's another one in about 20 minutes so I can wait. What's up, Luka?" Remembering to keep the Russian accept thick, he grinned at the male. "Need some help with your research again?"

"Nah, just wondering if you'd picked your fieldtrip group yet." The black haired male stated, grinning back at the lavender haired male. "I can't decide between the mountain-top retreat or the seaside resort."

"Heh, I went for the mountains; I thought you'd have figured out by now I prefer studying birds." The lavender haired male stated, adjusting his bag. "Seaside only has fish and dolphins though, which I'm sure you told me were your main interest in zoology."

"Fair enough; you coming to the barbeque this afternoon?" Luka asked the male, turning to head off.

"Nah, have things I need to sort; I'll see you tomorrow." The Russian nodded, heading in his own direction. He could feel the familiar ruby eyes watching him closely, waiting for him to go somewhere he could be cornered. 'I didn't leave my old life behind just so he could drag me back to it.' Bryan thought stubbornly, walking calmly through the still crowded paths throughout the campus.

The unmistakeable sound of Kai's steps followed him regardless of where he turned; intent on following him no matter where he went. Finally the mob of students dispersed, the falcon leading the phoenix down to a deserted part of the university, near the biology buildings. Turning to the slate haired male, the pair of Russians stood silently staring at one another, the whistling of the wind the only sound that echoed through the area.

Both seemed to be struggling with what they needed to say; neither wanted to admit the truth of what had occurred between them. Finally the silence was broken, the slate haired male starting it. "Why did you leave?"

"Because you guys didn't need me. You never did." The lavender haired male replied, his deep eyes betraying not even the slightest trickle of emotion.

"Five years. We haven't seen you for five damned years! Why the hell didn't you contact us? We looked for you, we've had the police searching for you! Not a single damned word, no letters nothing!" the male snarled, his deep red eyes narrowing on the male. "We thought you were dead!"

The silence that passed between them was deafening; the whistle of the wind through the valley of the buildings spoke volumes. The space between them was more than just physical; the lavender haired man had done everything in his power to separate himself emotionally from his past. Like ripping barbed wire from freshly healed skin, it hurt more with each tug. Seeing Kai was the pull which ripped the last section free; reopening the wound as if nothing had changed.

"It was probably better you thought that. The Blitzkrieg Boys never needed me; that was obvious. I stayed…so I could stay close to you. I left because it was obvious you'd never see me as anything more than an acquaintance. I gave up everything I knew so you guys could keep normality, so that I wouldn't rip apart our team like some piece of meat!" the older male snarled back, his eyes as hard as ever.

The slate haired male stepped back, faltering slightly. It was a lot of information to take in at once, the least of which concerning their team. Bryan left to spare their friendship? The hell did he think disappearing for five years would do, preserve it under glass?

"I have a life that's mine; yes my past is a lie when it comes to being here but it's still _mine_." Bryan growled, turning his back on the male. "For five years I've been free of my past, of that wretched abbey and what I was trained to be. What did you hope to achieve by finding me now?"

Silence stood between them once more, Kai's ruby eyes full of hurt while the steely green of Bryan's remained as emotionless as ever. "What happened to being friends forever?" the slate haired male questioned quietly, his head dropping. "What happened to staying together?"

"Time changes everything." Bryan answered simply, stepping forward to leave. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about my past."

Eyes widening at the Russians comment, the slate haired male found himself lost for words. The lavender haired man was ready to throw away everything to start again, including those who cared so deeply for him. A mixture of emotions was swirling inside him, a turbine of feelings as the older male walked away.

In an instant the male knew what the other Russian would do; walking away from the younger male now was his way of turning his back on their past forever. It took only a moment for the student to rush over to the male and hug him tightly from behind, preventing the taller from moving any further. "I looked for you for hours after Ray told me he thought something was wrong. I looked until just before Spencer and Tala came home; I'm not letting you leave us again Bryan…"

The younger male was close to tears, though he'd never admit it to anyone, not even to the stoic male he was currently restricting the movements of. The lavender haired male still had his head dropped toward the ground, his own emotional train wreck in progress. Leaving the first time had been painful, escaping while none of the others could demand an explanation. Trying to disappear with the slate haired teen standing there watching him do so was gut-wrenching.

A pale hand made contact with the younger male's arm, resting on it gently. "Kai…"

"I'm not letting you leave me!" he stated firmly, albeit quietly, his head resting again Bryan's back. "Please…"

A deep sigh resonated from the taller male, Kai's grip tightening slightly. "I left because I always figured…telling you I love you would tear apart the team. You and Tala have always been-"

"Tala and Spencer were together when you left! They never told me until you left." Kai muttered back, a soft whimper escaping him. "I always thought you wanted some cute girl on your arm."

"Never; I want a girl on my arm about as much as I wanted Tala to walk around the building naked on Sunday mornings."

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><p>Tai: Review please, and if you have possible song suggestions for other sequels, let me know! (Artist and song name needed ^^ )<p> 


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